


À plus tard

by XanLee



Series: À tout à l'heure [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Gen, I have no idea what to tag this umm, Male-Female Friendship, Secret Identity, lunches on rooftops, post-glaciator, using alter egos to gauge what people think of you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2018-02-05
Packaged: 2019-03-14 01:19:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13582968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XanLee/pseuds/XanLee
Summary: It was silent as they settled in. Chat Noir was pulling a couple of water bottles out of the picnic basket when Ladybug began. “You remember that girl that I asked you to protect from Evillustrator that one time?” He looked up at her, puzzled by her question that seemed to him to come out of nowhere. “I caught you looking down at that bakery,” she explained. “That’s where she lives, right?”Chat jolted upright. “Oh, uh, yeah. She lives there.”━━━━A little follow-up to my short piece "À la prochaine" (formerly "See you around") that got a little out of hand. I'm glad it did though.





	À plus tard

**Author's Note:**

> shoutout to [ladybugsandchats](https://ladybugsandchats.tumblr.com/post/170525652448/sadrien-depreste-concept-after-ladybugs) and [chatalyst](https://chatalyst.tumblr.com/post/170526108121/sadrien-depreste-concept-after-ladybugs) on tumblr for inadvertently convincing me with reaction gifs that I absolutely had to finish this right now and stay up until 5am writing it. y'all are the real heroes.
> 
> EDIT: now with [some art](https://sadrien-depreste.tumblr.com/post/170986982916/a-lovely-gift-for-me-from-the-lovely-mind3ll-for) from the lovely [Mindell](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Mindell/pseuds/Mindell) <3

Ladybug swung herself expertly into the air, coming to land silently on top of the building. She was about to make the small leap over to the rooftop to her left that she and Chat Noir had started meeting on for lunch a few months ago, when his stance alone over there caught her eye. She had known he was already there, he’d tried to convince Marinette to join the superheroes for their little picnic, after all. But she was expecting him to be sitting on the small blanket and setting the food out, or dutifully scanning the city around him in search of her or perhaps anybody that needed a hand.

No, instead she saw her partner hunched over, an elbow resting on the railing and his chin resting on that hand, as he held most of his weight on one foot, with the other crossed behind it at the ankle pensively. Ladybug couldn’t help but notice where his gaze was pointed. 

She stopped in her tracks and looked down at the Dupain-Cheng bakery. Hooking her yoyo to her hip, she jumped over to the rooftop he stood upon and stealthily vaulted over the railing, being sure to stay out of his peripheral vision. She took a few steps towards him before she noticed the black ears on his head twitch.

Suddenly being shaken out of his daze, Chat Noir reflexively lifted his head from his palm and turned it towards her. His eyes were wide with surprise, but they quickly softened with a slight smile as soon as he saw that it was just his partner. He straightened up and took a few steps to close the remaining gap between them. “Fancy meeting you here, My Lady,” he greeted with a theatrically suave voice.

“You really have to say that every time, huh?” she chided through a bemused smirk, resting a hand on the rail and leaning into it. She offered the other out to him, knowing their little routine that she had slowly come to secretly enjoy. And on cue, Chat knelt down, gently pulling her hand toward him with his own and laying a chaste kiss on the back of it.

Gone were the days when she would normally pull it away. Gone were the days when she would push him away by the nose when he brought his cheeky grin a bit too close for comfort. In fact, he rarely did that sort of brash thing anymore, opting for a more gentlemanly charm nowadays. Ladybug had hesitated at the change initially, now knowing that his past attempts had been out of true romantic intentions, albeit a bit strong. But these seemed different, and she soon found herself relishing in the hand kisses, the linked arms as they spoke to news reporters, the held doors, and the offered flowers taken from vases. It all felt very showy, and she wanted to be a part of the cast.

So she indulged Chat Noir in his chivalrous mannerisms, and went out on a limb as she trusted him not to push any boundaries, as he knew she had her heart elsewhere. Not that she would hesitate to put him back in line if he did, but because she wanted to explore this little play they were creating. And that’s precisely what it was; a play. They would both take on caricatures to act out these scenes of a strapping young man and a beautiful lady completely susceptible to his charm.

They had certainly convinced the entirety of Paris, all of France, even, with their acting, but the roles always died with a shared laughter, like a director yelling “cut” on the scene.

He looked up at her from where he knelt on the rooftop, a playful glint dancing in his eye as they both chuckled.

“Nice to see you, Buginette,” Chat said to her sincerely as he stood back up. He gestured over to the blanket with his head, and Ladybug followed him to take a seat.

It was silent as they settled in. Chat Noir was pulling a couple of water bottles out of the picnic basket when Ladybug began. “You remember that girl that I asked you to protect from Evillustrator that one time?” He looked up at her, puzzled by her question that seemed to him to come out of nowhere. “I caught you looking down at that bakery,” she explained. “That’s where she lives, right?”

Chat jolted upright. “Oh, uh, yeah. She lives there.” A black gloved hand reached up to the back of his neck in embarrassment of being caught staring. “I’ve, uh, run into her a few times while in suit other than then, actually,” he admitted sheepishly.

Of course, this was no news to Ladybug, so she feigned curiosity. “Oh?” she asked. She reached out to the basket in front of her to grab a hearty sandwich. He did the same as she continued, “What do you think of her?” Chat’s eyes met hers, and she glowered at him, hoping it came across teasingly rather than an attempt to hide her own nervousness in what she asked next. “Does somebody have a crush?”

He frantically waved his hands defensively in front of him, almost dropping his sandwich in the process. “No, no, no! It’s nothing like that!” he blurted out. More calmly, he continued, “I mean, she’s a great girl and all, she’s clever, from what I saw when she worked with me against Evillustrator, and she seems to care deeply for her friends and family. I just think it’s really a shame that you haven’t gotten to meet her yet when I have so many times.” Ladybug began eating her sandwich in an attempt to look casual. “I think you two would get along great.”

“I’m sure I’ll get to meet her one day,” she replied, taking a swig of water.

A minute passed as they ate in silence, enjoying the food and company, before it was finally broken. It was Chat Noir that did so this time. “Y’know, it seems like we run into the kids from that school a lot.” Ladybug looked up, humming in agreement as she held a shy hand over her mouth as she chewed. “That fashion mogul fellow, too. Gabriel Agreste, is it?”

“Yeah, so many akumas with them, we should really give them all a lesson in being considerate of other people’s feelings, huh?” Ladybug laughed lightly.

“Ha, yeah,” he agreed. Another silence fell between them as he popped his last bite of sandwich into his mouth with a claw. “He has a son, doesn’t he? That Gabriel guy?”

Ladybug gulped down her food. “Oh, uh, yeah. He’s a model, I think.”

“Right, right, that’s it. I see his face plastered all over the city. Say, you’ve met him before, what with Simon Says and Volpina and Riposte, right?” Chat asked. Seeing Ladybug nod as she reached back into the basket, he continued, “So tell me all the dirt, is he the typical snobby rich boy or what?” He was leaning forward, a hand cupping his mouth as if the duo were spreading nasty gossip.

She looked up to meet his gaze. His voice said playful, but there was a different glint in his eye. She couldn’t quite pinpoint it. “Oh, no, not at all,” she responded as she opened up the container of quiche tartlets she had pulled out. “Quite the opposite, really.” She held the container out to her partner for him to take one before she took one for herself.

“How’s that?” he asked before biting into the little tartlet.

“He seems very humble about it all, actually,” Ladybug started. She had never really considered that Chat had never met him, so she was careful not to say too much. “I feel kind of bad for him sometimes, though. I mean, you’ve seen how big and empty that mansion is, and how stubborn and cold Gabriel can be.” She heard Chat Noir hum in agreement. “And well, I think he lost his mother, as well. He… told me I had her smile once, even,” Ladybug recalled fondly. She noticed her cheeks warming with a slight blush and urged herself not to get lost in thought.

She looked back at her teammate in front of her, his eyes shining. “And despite all that, he’s still kind and tries to help people. Though maybe a bit too much; he sprained his ankle trying to protect me from Riposte. I’m the one with the magical suit after all, not him,” she added with an exasperated sigh.

Her partner let out a small laugh before leaning towards her with a hand on his chin, classic Chat Noir style. “Does somebody have a crush?” he echoed Ladybug’s question from earlier in a sing-song voice.

“Pfft, wouldn’t you like to know, _chaton_. But I’ll have you know that blond boys with green eyes aren't really my thing,” she answered resolutely, flicking a chunk of his bangs with a gloved finger.

She watched as he retreated, pulling out another small container as he did so. She saw it held a couple slices of cheese, and she waved it off dismissively. She wasn’t sure why he always insisted on bringing some when he never ate it himself, and she always felt awkward indulging in it if he wasn’t going to as well. He shrugged, replacing it in the basket and pulling out two small stemless wine glasses and a flask instead.

Chat set the glasses down on the blanket and carefully divvied up the wine between them. Ladybug recalled how, at their first lunch picnic here a handful of months ago, he had explained that he had chosen a nice Pinot Noir to go with the Brie, and that there was absolutely no pun intended there. The edges of her lips curved up at the memory.

And so today, like every time since, it was uneaten Brie (though Chat promised it wouldn’t go to waste) and Pinot Noir. They each picked up their glass and clinked them with a quiet “ _santé_ ”.

“It’s always a pleasure dining with you, My Lady,” Chat said in a play-sultry voice as he lowered his drink. Ladybug smiled against the edge of her glass as she finished her sip. Noting this, he continued, “won’t you join me for a candlelit dinner sometime?”

Ladybug looked away bashfully with a hand over her mouth. “Oh, how could I possibly resist _the_ Chat Noir inviting me to a romantic dinner?” she asked herself dramatically. She looked back to him, batting her eyes. “How does Tuesday sound?”

“Sounds like a date,” he agreed smoothly.

Ladybug’s voice went flat, “Good, meet me at the Arc de Triomphe at 10 for patrol then.” They shared an exchange of glances, before bursting out into laughter.

The superheroes finished their small portions of wine, looking out over their beloved city, smiles refusing to disappear as they did. They wordlessly packed up the glasses and the blanket and stood up, Chat taking the basket in his arm.

“So, _à plus tard_?” he asked.

“Yeah, _à plus_ ,” she answered, and she watched her best friend disappear into the Parisian skyline.

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanna say how there really wasn’t any pun intended with the wine choice when I wrote it. I just looked up what wines pair well with brie and chose pinot noir because it’s a kind I’ve had before, and I didn’t even realize the beauty in my choice until I wrote it and I may have woken the dog up at 3:30am with my laughing _because he so would pick it for the name you know he would_.


End file.
